Impurity robs people of peace and harmony

-If the Initiates always insist so much on the importance of purity, it is because they know very well that even the slightest impurity, whether in their physical body or in their thoughts or feelings, robs them immediately of their peace. Peace, therefore, is born of harmony, of an absolute accord between all the diverse factors and elements that go to make up a human being. But I must add something to that, and tell you that this necessary harmony can exist only when all those elements have been purified. Whenever there is a lack of harmony it means that impurities have slipped in.

A true Initiate understands that only one thing matters, only one thing is really essential and that is to become pure, as pure as a mountain lake, as pure as a clear blue sky, as pure as crystal, as pure as sunlight. Once an Initiate reaches this level of purity everything else is his for the asking. Obviously, as you now understand, no one obtains purity easily, but at least we can understand it, love it and long for it with every fibre of our being and, finally, do everything in our power to achieve it.

But it is impossible to explain this to people who lack spiritual maturity. One has to be spiritually mature, very mature both inwardly and outwardly, before one can attach oneself only to eternal values. Those who have not started this work are like children who continue to play with their dolls, their little toy soldiers and their sand castles; their youth makes it impossible for them to be interested in anything serious. But when they become more mature and are ready to give these up for the sake of other, more glorious undertakings, then they will know peace.

Most human beings have their hearts set on things that are fleeting and illusory, things that will inevitably cause them disappointment and distress. But it is difficult for them to understand this. Understanding can only come at the cost of suffering; much suffering and bitter disappointment. They may have to have to hit the bottom, to experience despair, before they can understand that instead of peace and fulfilment, glory and power, all those things they had set their hearts on can bring them only emptiness!

Keep working at this idea of being full of love, kindness and forgiveness. Keep working at it until it becomes so powerful that it pervades every fibre of your being and makes all your cells vibrate in unison with it. The peace that will be yours, then, will never abandon you again; even if certain circumstances or events disturb and distress you, you will be able to look into yourself and find the peace that is still there in spite of everything. For at this point, you see, it is no longer simply a self-imposed calm, a forced respite which lasts only as long as you keep up the effort, it is a permanent state that has become part and parcel of your very being.

No! Peace, true peace, cannot be lost. Oh, of course, you can go through periods of superficial turmoil, but your peace will still be there – deep down inside, just as, far below the surface of the ocean, on the sea bed, all is quiet, even when waves and foam are tossing on the surface. Once you have succeeded in introducing true peace into your innermost being, the turmoil going on around you no longer has the power to upset you; you feel that you are within the protective walls of a strong fortress.

The Journey

If you change your thoughts, feelings and way of behaving, even if you stay where you are and even if you are still confronted by all the same difficulties every day, yet you will know peace, because peace does not depend only on external circumstances; it comes from within, and all the turmoil and agitation of the whole world cannot prevent it from surging up and flooding your innermost being. Peace is like a great river pouring down on us from on high, and once you possess it, you too can pour it out on others and communicate it to all around you as a tangible, living reality; when you bring peace to others you are helping the whole world.

To be sure, the goal cannot be achieved overnight; it requires time and effort, but that doesn’t matter; what matters is to know that our interest lies in reaching out, with our whole being, to that Heavenly goal and, if we have to endure some suffering on the way, that is not important. What is important is to keep advancing towards this high ideal, the very best that exists.